What today’s Curry/Warriors presser told us: 5 minutes of nothing

Did it last even five minutes? All I know is Stephen Curry and Larry Riley started talking somewhere around 2:15 (delayed 15 minutes), answered 3 brief questions briefly, then the Warriors big introductory splash for their new superstar… just ended.

Expired. Over, quietly.

I didn’t go, but I watched on TV, expecting very little and that’s exactly what I got.

Maybe it’s my fault. I should’ve gone and fired up some questions, but it was hard to rev up the engines on that one when I figured neither Riley or Curry could or would say much.

Turns out: Didn’t say much.

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So after it ended, I spent about 5 minutes wondering what the hell just happened… typed up a few Twitter thoughts… and when I looked up it was still only 10 total minutes from the start of that alleged introductory press conference.

That must be a record or something.

But what was Riley going to say, except to praise Curry and say the Warriors love him and took him in order to keep him? (Even if they’re still talking with Phoenix about the elements of an Amare Stoudemire deal?)

And what was Curry going to say, except to say he can fit with the Warriors and all things are good? (Even if he refused to work out for them before the draft and almost certainly would rather end up in Phoenix, if possible.)

As one NBA source told me just before the press conference started, this is destined to be a drawn out experience. The Warriors are refusing to put Curry in any deal for Stoudemire, and the Suns aren’t doing it without him.

Whatever the tentative deal was before Curry was selected and the Warriors started imagining him scoring 20 a game… it’s off for now.

Now both sides can sit and wait for a while to see if the other budges.

Poker, basically.

Don Nelson vs. Steve Kerr, with poor Riley and Curry stuck in the middle in public. Not their fault, not the fault of the Warriors PR staff. We’ll see which front office is Phil Hellmuth and which one is dead money.

But this presser was odd, stilted, awkward and ill-timed. What a way to celebrate a new arrival to save the franchise!

Maybe the next deadline/flashpoint is coming soon: Will the Warriors let Curry play in the Las Vegas Summer League and risk injury or will they find a way to hold him out?

Also, I hear Amare has a camp coming up next Monday in Phoenix, so maybe we’ll hear something from him then.

If the Warriors get Amare without giving up Curry, what will you write about TK? How great your nemesis Don Nelson is?

stackjacksucks

TK will give Nellie his due if Nellie gets Amare w/out giving up Curry. He has in the past. Happy?

BlueNote

Amare for Biedrins,Wright, and Belinelli ? Couldn’t do it fast enough if it was up to me, and I’m a huge fan of Biedrins. The W’s would lose some rebounding and shot-blocking, though it would be soften by Turiaf a little, and hopefully gain a offensive presence on the frontline. If we could keep Curry and pull off the Amare deal, this would be a nice start to the off-season.

michaeld

Hopefully he’ll say it was a bad move. Because it is, regardless of Curry.

KudostoTK

A cursory, let’s get it over with, empty formality of a press conference. to introduce their new star? What could that possibly mean?

EB

If Curry has to be included with AB, Wright, and Marco in order to get Amare, would it help to get back the Suns draft rights to Earl Clark? Not sure if it does, but without I think 4 for 1 could be a little much. On the flip side, all 4, including Curry, are not all star players and you would be getting an all star player. Curry may be an all star someday, but the other 3 are for certain never to be all stars, so wouldn’t that be a plus for the W’s? If they can get an all star player for any number of non all star players, you have to do it right? If Curry isn’t on the roster to be the 3rd guard with Monta and Jack, then they can sign someone with the mid level exception. But as it stands, a roster of Monta, Jack, and Morrow at the 1-2, Buke (starter) and Maggette (6th man) at the 3, and Randolph, Amare, and Turiaf at the 4-5. I think thats a pretty strong 8 man rotation. Then throw in whoever they could sign as lower level free agents to be reserves that fill in the couple slots in the 9-12 slots of the roster. Until the W’s actually picked Curry, people were talking about his deficiencies. Not that they have him, he’s the next great guard in the league that they can’t trade away, even for a bonafide all star? I don’t get it.

15/70

Monta, Stoudemire and their “me” first attitudes, long term deals and questionable knee and ankle injuries are a recipe for disaster. Deal Monta and BW for Bosh or any other good young power forward, but keep Curry.

locutus

obviously it’s a bit much to think they’d trade their whole team within the division, but what about Curry and Maggette for Nash. Pho wants Curry, Law is still probably a back up. Nash is gone after the year as a FA or traded as an expiring contract during the year. He went to Santa Clara U and might enjoy that homecoming. So what about AS and Nash in the same deal, and the Warriors end up moving Curry (reluctantly)

EB

I like your thought locutus, but Nash is 70% of what we think he is these days. Plus Nash and Monta in the backcourt would be a defensive disaster. Amare sucks on D too, but with guys like Turiaf and more importantly Randolph, they can help clean up Amare’s mistakes better than someone covering for both Monta and Nash. The lineup of Monta, Jack, Buke, Randolph, and Amare would not be nearly the defensive disaster people think when they think Warriors or Nellie. With more offensive talent, Jack can focus more on being the defensive catalyst he’s so good at when he doesn’t have to score 25 per game. And Randolph I think is gonna turn into an out and out defensive freak in the Kirilenko mold but even more athletic.

Big_Suede

Why else have a short presser for Curry, unless it is a given that he is going away. The warriors never cease to surprise me on how they can ruin a team. Stoudamire is no all-star. The dubs dont need scoring from the bigs, they need rebounding and Biedrins is by far the better rebounder and i would argue a better defender as well.

JustPuked

That presser was a yawn-fest.
Wake me when they make the trade.

Taro

The more and more I hear about the Amare deal I like it less and less. Honestly, I would love to develop our young players, but Nelson isn’t a fan of Brandan, Marco, and even AR. If the Warriors can get rid of the Maggette contract(not that he is a bad player) it would be a great move this summer. Hopefully Monta can up his game to a point where is considered more than just a scorer. If that happens the Warriors could have an outside shot at the 8 seed.
But for the long term solution of this club the Warriors need a good tough head coach. There are some good ones out there, and as one the first critics of Nelson, I will say that he should be a talent evaluator for the Warriors.

Hi EB – you stated “but with guys like Turiaf and more importantly Randolph, they can help clean up Amare’s mistakes better than someone covering for both Monta and Nash.”

If you noticed last season, that was their problem. No backcourt D forced our bigs to challenge their shots while they (though not their fault) leave the opposition’s bigs. This usually resulted in offensive rebounds or easy follow-ups.

Honestly, I’d rather keep Biedrins since he’s the only big capable of playing D and rebounding. I wonder if PHX would like to get Jax instead, with BW and MB? Not sure if the math works. PHX would probably hang up the phone anyway.

GSWFan24

Dare I say this but Amare might want to get on board with the Warriors with a 4 year deal. The Suns will stink next year, thats for sure. Stephen Curry is special and Monta could be looking at his replacement. I watched the game where he dropped 45 on Blake Griffin and Oklahoma. It wasn’t his shooting that was most impressive, it was his ability to change speeds, handle, free himself, and pass. He reminds me of a quicker Mike Bibby (think Bibby with the Kings/Webber Days). He’s just really crafty and smart with the ball. Monta Ellis is far and away the better athlete but Curry’s feel for the game is just as far away ahead of Monta during his first three years in the league. DO NOT INCLUDE, I REPEAT, DO NOT INCLUDE CURRY IN THE TRADE FOR AMARE, NELLIE!

Yatsiminoli

If you’re giving up Biedrins, Wright, Belli AND Curry….you better get a player like Chris Bosh!!!! Amare isn’t worth the headaches and certainly isn’t worth a max contract after microfracture surgery!!

wan8iv

If Suns want Curry they have to include Nash that’s the only way it
would make sense for W’s.
They would make the playoffs next year and give em Maggette to
even out the $ but don’t throw in Curry unless you get Nash.

Joe Barely Cares

I suggest anyone wanting to keep Curry fire emails to the Warriors. As TK suggested, i think their present management is quite PR sensitive, for better or worse.

Joe Barely Cares

Just checked MT2’s blog. His takes are a bit different than TK. He really focuses on what Nellie had to say about Curry. From the sound of it Curry ain’t going anywhere (or Nellie has a lot of explaining to do). If anything Monta is. Check it out.

johnnyz54

The Warriors really need to have Amare checked out by their medical staff and to get an evaluation on the knee. I’d hate to see him come to Oakland only to be dragging his leg up and down the court like Chris Webber in the later years. And they cannot make this trade unless a contract extension is worked out. I’m hesitant about the trade. Amare played on the same team as Shaq and Steve Nash and Phoenix did not make the playoffs. Why would Amare be better with the Warriors?

Jerome Whitehead’s Kneepads

At last, some heavy intrigue with Golden State. Nabbing a valuable draft pick? Check. Talking up trade with a division opponent? Check. Nelson the victor in a power shake-up? Check. All kinds of misdirections and speculations? Check.

I posit that whatever happens now helps cement the legacy of Don Nelson, particularly Nellie 2.0. If he doesn’t value Curry/Monta/Andris/Wright/Marco enough to keep them aboard, it’s totally his call now. If that’s the case, I’m in favor of Nelson getting “his” team, whatever that means. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but this team is (and has been) hardly the hallmark of fully functioning. So fix it.

Despite the Arena being filled up at home games, the Cohan era has been a remarkably frustrating time to be a Warrior fan.

HoopFan

Trade is going to happen…The difference is that the Warriors will include NEXT YEARS #1 PICK with Biedrins, Wright, Marco…I also do NOT want them to trade Kaleena. I think he’s a real good player for this team.

steelekord

joe barely cares…can you provide the pertinent e-mail addresses of warriors staff? would like to send along a couple lines… 🙂

Robert Rowell does fist bumps with Riley and Nellie.
Because he’s a douche bag.

I continue to own their act hardcore.
Hey plants, come tell us you’re not trading Andris Biedrins like you did last week and the previous months while you yammer about Turiaf’s incredible awesomeness at the first chance to shoot your PR wad and cash in!

You guys are going to lose forever.
I want you to know that.
It’s all you’re good for.

dubber4life

this article was 3 minutes of nothing. TK doin what he does. Curry is a warrior and will be for a long time

KudostoTK

#17,

Joe Barely Cares is an apt screen name. In scoring proficiency, attitude, and personality, Stoudamire will amount to the return of Joe Barry Carroll. Statistically speaking, Joe Barry had some real nice years with the Warriors. His output compared favorably to what Amare was putting up in Arizona last year. The return of the Joe Barry years! These are indeed exciting times for Warrior fans.

Monta is so Mullin while Curry is Nellie. No reason to suppose Nelson’s fire sale on the Mullin acquisitions won’t extend to Monta.

colonel

Does someone have data on this? Seems to me that, historically, in the many-for-one deals, the winner is usually the team that receives the many.

The only good examples I can think of are Herschel Walker (set up Dallas’ 1990’s super bowl teams) and Ollie Matson(traded by the Cardinals for nine Rams players following the 1958 season -> Cardinal were >= .500 in 60-61, while Rams didn’t get to a winning record until 1966).

Not that it matters when the Warriors are just trying to be better than LAC, setting the bar lo-o-ow. But, hey, if 130-120 losses pack the Oracle, it’s all good, right Bobby?

colonel

If I remember right, Shawn Bradley was on the bad side of one of those many-for-one deals when 76ers traded several players for his draft rights. Didn’t work out so well.

Nelson, who always has the affinity for tall skinny guys, later traded for SB in a many-for-many deal : (nba.com) : “Traded by the Nets with Ed O’Bannon, Robert Pack and Khalid Reeves to the Dallas Mavericks for Sam Cassell, Chris Gatling, Jim Jackson, George McCloud and Eric Montross on 2/17/97” Nets were better the following year, then returned to sucking. Dallas sucked the next two years, until Nelson inserted himself as coach and they got Nowitzki.

I doubt we’ll have watson with law and curry in the mix and i doubt jamareo is making a return…end of bench to reach 15 and d-league status but these are prolly are 12 suited guys.

Were still lacking beef in the interior but lets face it, even if we got someone with beef Nelson won’t play him so were not adding a traditional power forward or center anytime soon.

IF the trade goes through and worse case scenario we throw in Curry….

pg Monte
sg Jackson
sf Azabuike
pf Randolph
C Amare

pg Law, Watson
sg Morrow
sf Maggette
pf Jamareo
C Turiaf

The more I analyze it the more I’m starting to flip on my original points of doing this deal.

pros:

1. Amare adds scoring down low and adds excitement to the offense.
2. We loosen up our log jam of potential players and have a good mix of veterans and a few young prospects (ideally what you would like).
3. Loss of Beidrins rebounding and defense substituted and taken over by Randolphs defense and rebounding but he also adds more offense and versatility to the line up.

cons:

1. We over commit to the team and have huge long term contracts with Ellis, Jackson, Maggette and Amare… not exactly championship type of players.
2. Were so over committed financially we won’t have enough money to resign Randolph if he becomes the all star we all NEED him to be for this trade and line up to be a success.
3. We still don’t have depth at pg and don’t have the true passer to get everyone the ball…Morrow and Randolph will be left out of the offense.

In the end were left with a very selfish but exciting team, a classic typical Nellie team which can make the playoffs but not compete against the tough western conference teams. We lose our flexability and over commit to a selfish no defense squad….ugh I dunno the more I think about it the more and more I like having defense and rebounders like Randolph, Beidrins and Turiaf down low with tough defenders like Jackson and Azabuike on the wings while Ellis takes on an Allen Iverson type of offensive role and tries to carry us offensively….

Jarrett

Warriors have a young team and even with Amare playoffs aren’t certain next year. I dont get why, since it will take the max to extend Amare’s contract anyways, they don’t just wait till he becomes a free agent in one of the largest supply side markets in recent history. Just wait a year, maybe make a few salary moves like they’re doing, maybe pull in a mid-season trade depending on how the team looks, then sign Amare in the offseason without having to give up anything in a trade? Then trade who you want that offseason and fill any holes that become apparent next year (e.g. defense off the bench, a big body with energy)

#24 that’s good analysis. I agree completely. I would rather have the young guys and the versatility they offer. We might strike out, but the potential of those guys is great if they pan out. I don’t see the same upside if the team trades for Stoudemire.

Livermore Joe

Opps. I meant #27.

Mike

goldenstateofmind.com points to writeups from both MT2 and Steinmetz, which include strong statements from Nellie that Curry will not be traded. Funny that Timmy missed that. I guess he needs to keep up the intrigue. I hope that kills the Amare trade. I think Randolph can soon be equivalent to Amare, and Brandan will be nice off the bench. Keep the kids and trade some wings for more front-court depth or future draft choices.

While the whole Amare trade nonsense is lunatic — and the loss of Goose would be MUCH bigger than anyone appears to realize — I have to say much of what the Fat Man’s done so far this week makes sense and/or corrects prior stupid moves by him. So let’s note and give credit:

(1) Dumping Jamal and his contract were a minor blessing, even tho we got nothing in return. Still, had Nelson not thrown Al away last year we could have gotten a lot more. But Nelson’s laudatory approach to Jamal lasted only a month or so before he figured things out. So, at least Nelson came to his senses and realized there was just no fit that worked with jamal (as most of us knew — and pointed out — at the time of the trade).

(2) Drafting Curry instead of Hill was a major blessing: the kid can play, is BBall smart, and is a good guy to boot. Hill has little game and is primarily a banger — which ain’t horrible, but isn’t what you want in a good lottery choice. Sure, we got lucky Curry fell to us, but this is the team that chose Todd Fuller when Kobe was on the board.

(3) Nelson has now told Curry he can “unpack” “relax” “buy a house” here — because we’re going to keep him. We all know that Nelson’s a congenital liar, but this still sounds better than having him say he’ll do anything to get the gimpy-kneed, retina-detached, me-first Amare (just what we need: a bigger Jack, who can’t play defense). Anyway, Nelson went out of his way to say all this, so I’m still naive enough to take it as a good sign.

Now if they’d just drop the Goose-BW-MB for Amare crap we could all breathe a bit easier, and focus on getting rid of Maggette’s and/or Jack’s bloated contracts. . . .

Looks like the only one running with this is this blog – sorry I got wrapped up in it myself – everything and everyone else points to Curry staying. What a waste of the past 24 hours of postings.

HeitY0A$

We know warriors management read (and even post on) boards like these. Make your displeasure with the Amare trade known. I don’t want him in a warriors uniform. He is a skilled player with a bad attitude, and not a winner. Let’s not pay ridiculous amounts of money for a second-rate star. We already wasted so much on Maggette.

WTH Nelson!!!

amare playing center is all i need to know. pass on trade.

Kawaka(ME)

CC aka ROWELL.

nice comment (#23), “I continue to own their act hardcore”

thanks for the laugh of the night. Nothing like knowing that some rich-man’s-abyss-impact is on the other side of the internet typing away.

I watched the presser, read Marcus’ take on his blog, and now just read yours… Marcus and I have the same thoughts on the matter, but you are a freakin’ UFO conspiracy theory…

Do you really have a sports journalism degree because I know bloggers who do it part-time that have better insight than you do…

Marco

By the time they screw up next season, there will not be any decent head coach willing to replace Nelson to have to rebuild from the bad trades the Warriors will have made. Riley needs to think he will be gone too if he does not protect some of our good young players for the next coach after Nelson. Keep Curry. Wright and Azubuke can go along with Maggette. Keep the core of the team intact. Don’t pick up some aging veteran from other teams just to please Nellie for one lousy year.

Rubbadubstyle

Where was the media? That was bush. If this press conference had been in NY, it would have been blown up with reporters. What, nobody had a follow up question? Stephen is wondering why he put on a suit.

J. Whitehead

Interesting footage of the Warriors war room during the draft on NBA TV. As Stephen Curry’s reaction was shown as he learned he was drafted by the Warriors, Larry Riley asked Rowell, “Was he excited?” and Rowell gave him a quizzical look.

Warriors nailed another draft pick. Trading Beans, a guy with a 15/12 ceiling for Amare, a 25/9 guy, while adding in two role players (which we have plenty of) is going to cement this franchise in the playoffs for the next five years plus.

Nelson seemed to make it clear that he’s not including Curry by saying it to the media. ESPN says that Kerr has had talks now with the Hawks including Joe Johnson as part of a package deal. Sounds like either both teams are posturing, or the deal is dead for now while the Suns explore other/better deals…

Is Amare the Answer? I’m not convinced either. How can a quick explosive leaper veteran player not play any defense? Nelson will continue to try and out run and gun and mismatch you to death with no care for players that play solid defense. I would rather have Bosh if possible. Only if the demands weren’t to high and of course Bosh would have to commit long term. No youth gouging rentals please.

MORETEAMPLAY

Keep Curry and don’t get Amare. Improve the team’s bullet close range passing so that AB & RT can do more in the paint scoring. That way there’s more team play which helps keep your players more alert on the half court offense as opposed to forced one on one individual scoring.

we do not want a max contract with amare. max deals with tier 2 stars never work…you think they would have learned their lession last season with brand & arenas. both near misses for them. imagine if we had those lousy contracts now.

lobo

“at least they are trying to do something” bad answer. when fatso and the rest of the stooges get together it is usually a big mistake at best and a disaster. for every so called good deal they have made or draft choice they have taken i can name four or five that have seriously backfired.

now they loaded up with some more low rent talent in the dark suits…perfect for fatso…more cannon fodder to push around as he gets his way….i gave up a long time ago. Todd Fuller where are you when we need you??

victor

yeah if theyre talking biedrins, belinelli, and wright for amare id do it in half a heartbeat. but seeing that the deal isnt done i dont think the suns want to do it. if it isnt enough, i think trading a 2nd or 3rd rounder next year is probably a better way to go because of what we saw with the injuries this past season. you cant give up 4 bodies when you know you have a high potential for injuries.